Friday, December 30, 2011

Personal Budget for Home Entertainment Systems in America

Many of the newer audio and video systems for home entertainment systems have added many features the products. It is a minefield in trying to determine how much money must be allocated towards a system of ones choosing - especially when the consumer is not certain about the level or depth of the components may be desired.

Let's take a look at the basic idea of a home entertainment system. There are really three general system ideas that are prevalent in the marketplace.

ONE: An audiophile system that is capable of High Fidelity reproduction of music. It consists of a stereophonic amplification system with two loudspeakers - maybe a subwoofer to extend the low frequencies - and a source device such as a CD player. This kind of system is for the serious music lover and is generally in a separate room or space from the tv or surround sound system associated with playback of video or multi-media programs.

TWO: Television and Video entertainment system - combining a television receiver, surround sound receiver and a set of loudspeakers. Usually contained within an entertainment room in the owners house and of great interest for television programs, movies, home video and other media programs. The number of loudspeakers is typically 6 - such as in a 5.1 playback environment: Front right, Front left, Rear right, Rear left and a subwoofer for reproduction of the low frequencies and special effects.

THREE: This is usually a variation of item TWO above but including a game system for home entertainment level games. The high level game player may be interested in PC based games also which requires a high performance PC for the more advanced game that are popular in the marketplace today.

Here we must talk about the range of product or classes of performance. Let us, in order to simplify the analysis, think of the consumer as being divided into three classes of seriousness of purchase: Good, Better and Best.

In category ONE above where the consumer is an audiophile and looking for a music system only the range of expense that will be needed can range from under $100 to as much as $5,000! A budget buyer can purchase a really good system from thrift stores for under $100 by shopping wisely. However, it is most likely the range for a "Good" system would range from, let's say, $100 to $400.

A person in the "Better" category will need to allocate financial resources in the range or $400 to $1500. For example, a good amplification system will run $300 to $500 and a pair of speaker systems with subwoofer can easily fetch $1000 for "good" fidelity sound.

The "Best" sound which will satisfy the esoteric music lover can easily run up to $5,000 - or even more.

In category TWO above, we are talking more than just audio because it requires a flat screen LCD or LED television system. Depending on size the tv alone will run around $200 to $1000. Surround sound systems - all in one box like from Walmart or BestBuy can start at $100. So, for the lower end or "Good" category the range might well be around $400 to $1500 range.

The "Better" category of systems will run $1000 to around $3000. This level of system will have a larger screen, say up to 46", 50 or even 55". That alone will be $800 to $2000. The surround sound system will always be over $250 for a system of this quality. So, here we are easily up to $3000.

The "Best" category would likely be a 3-D television receiver with component grade surround sound which could not be gotten into for under $3000 and will easily build up to $10,000 range total for all the "stuff" necessary to complete the package.

OTHER: Keep in mind that cables, installation, system design and addition of game consoles would be extra for categories TWO and THREE. Installation can be a DIY project for those with the tools, the know-how and the desire. It is not an easy job to hook up everything, hide the wires, run them through walls, etc. Cabling and hookup connections can be down right aggravating if you have a complex system requirement for recording and time shifting, full motion cameras and so on. In a sophisticated system one may need the services of an engineer for system design.

CONCLUSION: We are looking at an investment of a minimum of a few hundred dollars and as high as several thousand dollars for a glorious and exciting comprehensive system with the very best performance parameters. We did not get into Internet connectivity but where that is desired another monthly cost must be added thereon.

For a person in the $120,000 annual salary class it should be expected that maybe one months salary could be a targeted budget for a system in the "Best" quality category.

Closing comment. This author recently desired a very "Better" grade audio system to add to a summer home - a system that would be used only for a few weeks out of the year. It was desired to be a low budget system but high performance. Solution: Visit a few thrift stores, watch Craigslist and follow a few threads on the Internet for good quality sound. Final purchase: Sony heavy, good quality pair of bookshelf speaker systems from Salvation Army for $5. A Kenwood receiver, 600 watts of power, from Craigslist for $40. Subwoofer with outstanding low frequency gut shaking bass output from Goodwill for $15. DVD/CD player new from discount store for $30. Conclusion: Very good sound quality with great power, thundering low frequency response all for under $100! You can't beat that!

Almon H. Clegg, Financial Analyst. AKA Cleggsan
Expert in engineering, cost analysis, benefit return on investment for home entertainment systems.

Five Tips to Improving Database and Query Performance

Considerable amounts of planning needs to go into building a database application. There are a number of things which can affect performance in a negative way if best practices are not followed.

Performance might seem perfectly fine in a test environment with only a few thousand rows inside the database but when the application goes live and begins to grow the database, bad design considerations can become obvious very quickly.

When designing the database and building the code to query it, there are simple design considerations and best practices which can help ensure that as the database grows, the system remains responsive.

The following five tips are in no particular order of preference.

1/ Design tables with the appropriate indexes

The lack of appropriate indexes can lead to massive decreases in performance. As the tables become larger, the optimizer has to scan through the data to retrieve the required rows based on the WHERE clause in the query. Imagine using a phone directory without an index to tell you where the page was for your local plumber. It is going to be slower finding them without the page that tells you that they are on page 302 or your 500 page directory. The query optimizer has the same problem if indexes are not put in.

2/ Don't use SELECT * FROM

It is easy to write SELECT * FROM. Writing queries in this way is much quicker than writing out the required fields from the table. Well you reap what you sow. If you take the time to build that SQL statement properly, your return on investment will be improved response times. This is because the sql query is pulling back less data than if all columns were included. If you only need 3 columns and not the 10 that comprise your table then just select those three.

3/ Ensure that stored procedures are used

There are many benefits to using stored procedures. One of the benefits is that the optimizer can call upon a cached execution plan. Ad-hoc SQL requires more time and resource to execute because the optimizer has to work out the best execution plan to execute the query.

4/ Don't use cursors

There is a time for using cursors however they should generally be avoided unless absolutely necessary. The optimizer works best dealing with sets of data. It is not too great at doing things very quickly using a row by row method.

5/ Ensure that you have a maintenance plans in place

In SQL Server, you can build maintenance plans to help rebuild indexes and refresh statistics. In MySQL, this can be done using OPTIMIZE TABLE commands as part of a batch process. Ensuring that maintenance plans are in place helps to control index fragmentation. Up to date statistics helps to ensure that the optimizer can use the best execution plan for the query.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Convert Audio And Video Into Text With Digital Transcription

Digital transcription is the process of transcribing your audio or video files into written text using digital software. Previously, transcription was strictly a manual process wherein an individual would listen to your audio or watch your video file and physically write down the words they heard. However, this took a lot of time and was prone to human error. When it comes to audio and video transcription you want your text to be error-free, and it is vital that your text is clear, concise and extremely accurate. This is why digital transcription has become popular. Digital transcription is done by digital software, thereby making the entire process more accurate, quicker, and cheaper. Because the process is done with the help of software, you no longer have to pay the high prices you previously used to.

There are myriad benefits to transcribing. Video transcription helps the viewer follow the content of your video by enabling them to read the text. This is exceptionally useful in educational and business videos. Very often we are so distracted by the happenings in a video that we fail to pay attention to everything that is being said. By being able to hear as well as read whatever is there, you reinforce your point to the viewer. Audio transcription is essential as understanding something only by listening is very difficult. Keeping in mind that accents can be difficult to understand, and that people have a tougher time focusing without visual aid, it is easy to see the importance of audio transcription.

There are various digital transcription services that provide clear, accurate and error free transcription. More and more organizations are beginning to make use of their services, as the advantages of digital transcription are getting clearer. These advantages are easiest to see online where Search Engine Optimization requires text. Search engines cannot watch your videos or listen to audio files in order to decipher what your website is about. Very often this means that your website remains low in search results even though you may have all the relevant content. How do you change this? Digital transcription is a great starting point. Search engines understand and index text, and they use this to understand your website (mainly keywords linked to website content). In order to optimize your website, simply have your audio and video transcribed and see a tremendous boost in your Internet marketing and SEO campaigns.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Things to Know About Cloud Computing

1. What is Cloud Computing:

The term 'Cloud Computing' was born in the middle of 2007. The word 'Cloud' is a metaphor to describe the Internet. So it can be explained simply as computing (applications, storage, services etc.) residing on the Internet which the users connect to.

For example, if you are using web applications from big firms such as Google or Microsoft, it means that you are using Cloud Computing. The web applications such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Hotmail, Salesforce, Dropbox and Google Docs are all Cloud Computing services because when connecting to those services, the users will access to massive integrated server groups on the Internet.

2. Why using Cloud Computing:

Generally, large corporations install certain applications on servers to provide lower costs (shared storage, management, architecture etc.) and distributed connectivity (e.g. global access). With Cloud Computing, resources are shared, so a single email server may serve 500 companies instead of 500 companies needing to buy their own internal email server for example. Therefore, it reduces the cost arising from individual companies hosting their own services locally. As saying above, the word 'Cloud' refers to the Internet.

Currently, many companies have posted their applications to the Internet and have integrated features through a web browser allowing connectivity from different computing platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux etc.)

3. What does Cloud Computing have to do for your business:

Easier: If usually run their applications on their own servers that are placed in their offices, it requires local effort for maintenance, the cost and the time to keep things running continuously and upgrading. If they use it, they will still use the same applications but the applications will be implemented on an Internet facing server. In many cases, the maintenance, upgrading and running of the server is handles by a data center or application provider. Further, they can also let their users or associates use the applications without having to install anything to their computers.

More efficient: Have you ever thought that your company will use Office 360 or Google Docs instead of Microsoft Office or Open Office? From cloud services, the company doesn't have to spend large amounts of money on licensing fees, maintenance, updating etc. It's all carried out without them needing to be too concerned.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Some Tips for Switching Over to a Cloud Infrastructure

With the growing popularity of cloud infrastructures on the market, more people are looking to explore these revolutionary systems for their company. While these systems had a few errors at first, many of the initial problems faced are no longer a concern, it is important to consider the following tips.

For this process, one needs to understand that in most cases, a cloud service will not be backed up or redundant. Which means backups would have to be handled on the company's end if not by their managed service provider. However, after the Amazon outage that shut down companies for almost 48 hours earlier this year, cloud infrastructures have greatly improved. Resilient architecture has been introduced which ensures there is a reduction in the amount of service interruption users will experience.

For this approach to be effectively handled, the user of the cloud service will need to be sure they are implementing the upgrade services and features that improve the operation of these items. These items will help ensure the infrastructure remains load balanced and that in the event of an outage, a different zone can be accessed temporarily.

There is also the concern of bandwidth issues. To help offset this, some companies are turning to other servers and data centers to help them distribute the information needed and to run applications on their cloud infrastructure. This improves overall performance and ensures their end users are getting a system setup that is going to meet their needs.

Keep in mind that there are private and public clouds as well. What users find is that these private clouds with less bandwidth limitations are going to be a more effective solution for most businesses. Additionally, one will find that the security on the private clouds is expected to greatly increase during the course of 2012.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

How to Disable Agent Exe From Starting Up?

There are a lot of files on your computer that you may not want to start, and this is a sentiment that's shared by just about everyone, and it can be hard for you to remove them if you're not astute. There's no secret that there are some files that will just keep starting up, and as such, you may find that you need a really good way to assure that this doesn't happen. Unfortunately, this can prove to be difficult, especially when it comes to the pesky agent.exe file. It's one that a growing amount of people want to get rid of, and it's not particularly hard to do given you understand a few things about it first. Fortunately enough, it's not too hard for you to get rid of after a little bit of knowledge and time.

What is It?

Understanding the enemy is often a good way to know how you'll get rid of it. This executable can be a couple of different things from different sources. On one hand, it's a process from Dell that gives the user the ability to administer and monitor the system as needed. It's also one that's associated with Acronis Disk Management. Its role here is to protect your computer from bad things you may run across on the Internet, such as Trojans and spyware that can attack your computer. It's also something associated with Fore Agent Newsgroup, where it doesn't particularly do too much, at least when it comes to whether it's essential or not, but it shouldn't be terminated unless you're getting some problems.

How to remove it

This is probably a lot easier than you actually determining where you're getting this from, but that's a very important step. If it's from any of those guys, you may be better off keeping it, or at least investing some time into determining exactly what it does, and how it may pertain to the performance (or health!) of your machine. If you'd like to provide and get rid of it, you'll be happy to know that stopping it from running is pretty much a piece of cake.

If you want to get rid of it, you'll have to go to "Start" > "Run" > type: "msconfig" and click "OK." Now, you'll want to click on "Start Up" and uncheck "ISSCH" and "ISUSPM." Click apply. From there, you won't have any problems with the problem with the program, as it'll be gone.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

How The Best Ways To Protect Your Information?

We depend on computers for almost everything in our lives. We may store a significant amount of personal information on those computers, but at the same time, we may use them for all of our business purposes as well. Regardless of what or why you store information on a computer, it is important to ensure that it is kept safe. This is not only true from a financial perspective, it is also true when you consider the sensitive nature of some of the data that we may keep on our hard drives. In order for you to make sure that your information is as safe as possible, here are some data protection suggestions that can assist you.

One of the most important things for you to do when it comes to operating a computer is to safeguard against viruses and spyware. These are two completely different issues, but in most cases, they are going to be covered under a single type of protection software. Some of the bigger brand-name antivirus software will run on your computer and make sure that no damaging information is able to be added to the hard drive. It will check any download that takes place, as well as scanning your email and even websites before they are opened, to ensure that there is nothing damaging attached.

If you are going to be running an antivirus program, it is also important that you make sure it is updated regularly. New viruses are coming out on a regular basis, and these can often circumvent the security of anti-spyware and antivirus programs. By keeping the programs up to date, you will be sure to catch anything new that is released. Additionally, it is a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with how to recognize problem websites and other issues that could result in a virus or spyware being attached to your computer.

If you do any work on a public network, it is also important to ensure that nobody has access to your personal information. All of the information that travels across the network is going to need to be encrypted so that it cannot be read in such a way. In most cases, the build in protections for Windows is enough to take care of the problem, but in other cases, you may need to add more security. Be sure that you get what is necessary in order to protect your data on public networks.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Wireless Industrial Bulk Truck Theft Prevention System

The Wireless Industrial Bulk Truck Theft Prevention System is specially designed for using in commercial vehicles as well as machinery. The system is used in order to protect the vehicles from unauthorized use. The system can detect the unauthorized engine start of the commercial vehicles as well as gigantic machines. Depending on the customer's application or need, the wireless industrial Driver Authorization System can be designed in different way. Here are some popular variations of Truck Theft Prevention System:

Model DASI000IGN: This is unique model prevents unauthorized engine start. The system is armed automatically each time whenever the system key is turned off. One can again disarm the system by inputting the correct user code and it allows the engine to be started. The main advantage of this system is that they are suitable for using all types of vehicles.

Model DASI000AT: This is another model of Driver Authorization System that prevents unauthorized vehicle movement by using the automatic transmission process. In this case the system is armed automatically by shifting the transmission into park. Whenever any unauthorized person wants to drive the vehicle without entering a valid user ID code, the engine stalls automatically. One can again disarm the system by entering valid ID code and a result the engine also starts again. This system suits well for any of the vehicles that need to be left unattended with engine running.

Model DASI000AB: This system is same as the above model. It is armed with the application of truck parking brake. This is ideal for using in those vehicles that are equipped with air brakes. The system stalls the engine each time when the parking brake is released without entering the valid code. Again, you can disarm the system by entering the valid ID code. This model is well suited for large trucks with air brakes as well as engines that need to be left running while vehicle is unattended.

Model DASI00ABT: It is also similar to the above model. However, it is mainly designed for tractor or trailer units with a dedicated trailer parking brake. The system can be armed with application of tractor you can also arm the system with the trailer parking brake. This system is ideal to prevent deliberate bypass of authorization system by the drivers using trailer brakes to park vehicle. If any unauthorized person attempts to bypass, disable, or damage this Wireless Industrial Driver Authorization System, it will result ignition to lock out until repairs are made or a valid code is entered.

User ID Codes: The term User Id Code refers to a three to nine digit ID code that is entered to disarm the Driver Authorization System. The truck owner can select this code and the code is programmed into the unit by using a 'master code' assigned to the truck owner. DAS systems are available with up to three levels of administrative master codes. When the truck owner wants to change the driver's authorization code, he/she should enter the master code. In case if an invalid master code is entered repeatedly for five times or more, the system will automatically 'lock out' for ten minutes.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Technology Help Desk Problems

Working on a technology help desk is equal parts technical ability and equal parts customer service. The individuals that master both are going to be the top performers, every time. The main reason is when people have a technology problem they tend to get a little more freaked out than other types of issues. In addition, this is one of the few problems that will make some call a help line for answers.

For example, when someone's car breaks down they usually have some indication as to the problem. If they have a flat tire, they know the issue and know exactly what it takes to solve the problem. Whether they do it themselves or not isn't relevant. They are not worked up as there is no fear of the unknown. They already realize that they are not going to spend an hour on hold followed by someone that is not there trying to walk them through a complicated issue. This at some level puts them at ease.

For this reason, help desk employees should understand what the customer is going through and speak to them like they are human. Too often, large companies try to "dumb down" the help desk technician to a point that he is reading from a script. People pick up on this instantly and it makes them assume the employee is only capable of reading from the script.

I had a very clear experience with a poorly managed help desk just last week. My cable Internet went down so I called the cable company for help. Here are the ways the cable company wasted my time and disappointed me.

Customer Verification: This seems pretty reasonable; they should make sure I'm a customer before they spend any time working on my problem. However, I just called a support number because their service is having a problem. Should it really make a difference if I pay for the service or if I'm at a neighbor's house? Even beyond that, they asked me to verify my identity using my customer number (does anyone really know their customer number) or my email address (they issue you an email address when you first sign up, and I have never logged into it since). The point is, it took me a while to find this information and it was a complete waste of my time and theirs.

Problem Description: They asked me what the problem is and gave me a speech about how sorry they are that I'm having issues. I explained that there are two PC's in my home, both are down, and the cable modem is flashing an amber light. Everyone that just read my problem description knows that the problem is either with the cable modem, or with the service itself. Since the modem is rented and supported by them, either way it is a problem on their end. However, the technology help desk technician would not break script for any reason.

Troubleshooting: The troubleshooting was a complete waste of time for both of us. If the cable company really cared about wait times they would put an end to these pointless troubleshooting steps so the technician could get right to the issue. However, that is impossible so here we go...

Reboot My PC: I already told the technician that multiple PCs are down. How could rebooting one machine possible fix the problem? We had to argue about this for a few minutes until I realized that it would be quicker to just reboot.

Reboot the Router: Why? Just because that is the next item on the list. The cable modem is clearly the problem, but we have to reboot my router first. In addition, the individual started asking me questions about the router as if she was going to tell me it is not supported and end the call. I told her the router is whatever you support and I just rebooted it. This caused more arguing and more frustration.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

How Attractive Wallpapers For Your Computer?

Computer wallpapers

Whenever you open the computer, wallpapers are the first thing that you will see. In a single day you will see the wall paper many times. Having unique and refreshing wall paper can change your mood. You can choose the wallpaper for your computer according to your profession, passion and interest. There are hundreds of free wallpapers available online. One can download these wallpapers and can use them in their computers. You can get the pictures displayed at random on your screen or can select a single one. If you have installed graphic editing tool in your computer, you can create your own background images. Creating wallpaper is not a big task if you download the editing tools from different websites. You can even add special effects to the wallpaper created by you.

Nature photographs

Nature photographs are an attractive option for imagery. If you are a nature lover you will want to install this type of wallpaper on your computer. The nature photographs will give a soothing effect to the person looking at it. You can install self- clicked nature photographs as wallpaper. You can also share the wallpaper with like minded persons. There is no shortage of websites providing nature photographs as wallpapers. Animal wallpapers also come under nature wallpapers. You can get the beautiful pictures of wildlife from different parts of the world. Pictures of flowers, birds and wild animals add freshness to the person seeing it. The pictures of streams and ice-covered mountains are also a good choice as nature wallpapers. People who love adventure can have the pictures of wildness to decorate the screen. You can change that wallpapers when you get bored of one picture.

Anime Wallpaper

The latest trend in computer wallpapers are the anime style themes. You can have the pictures of your favorite cartoon or animated characters as your computer wallpaper. These characters are usually portrayed with the special outfits and the weapons. If you are person loving anime cartoons, then you can consider this option. Many young and old people like watching anime cartoons and such people will love to have animated wallpapers in their room or on their computer screens. Every day hundreds of anime wall papers are getting downloaded from different sites to be used as wallpapers. This shows the popularity of this type of wallpaper. Children will especially like anime wallpapers. Characters from anime series and anime movies are used for this purpose.

Friday, December 2, 2011

How to Choose Office Equipment?

Are you opening a new office? Or do you feel it is time to replace some old office equipment? The problem that people have when doing this is trying to choose the best equipment. There are certain aspects of your business that you need to look at when choosing your equipment.

What to look for in office printers

Office printers are very important if you need to print anything in your office. You want to have a printer that can cope with the volumes that you will need to print in a fast and efficient manner. If you do have to print a lot then you should look for high capacity printers. You will also want to have a printer that can print quickly as there is nothing worse than having to wait a long time for all your pages to print. Of course if the department does not have to print much a smaller printer is also an option. Network printers should also be looked at if you have many people in your office. You should also look into the price of cartridges and how many pages you can get from a cartridge. It is also best to have a printer that can print in both monochrome and colour for document headers.

What kind of computers should you get?

Technology is always advancing and you don't want to be left behind. However, you don't want to have to replace your computers too often either. The things to look at when deciding on computers are their speed, the memory and whether they will be able to connect to your network and work properly.

What about all in one devices?

The device that you should seriously consider is all in one devices. These devices will incorporate a printer, copier, scanner and often a fax machine. By getting one of these devices you will not only save space but also money as you only have to buy one device. The costs of cartridges will also be lowered as you only have to buy cartridges for one machine. It is best that your all in one device is able to connect to a network. As with all machines you have to see that the one you get covers all the need of your business.

Getting a shredder

Another piece of equipment that you may overlook is a shredder. If you are dealing with documents that have information about your business of any of your clients you need to dispose of them in a secure manner. For your office you will need to have a shredder that can cope with larger quantities than a personal one. Shedders will also shred in different ways so you should look into what kind of shredding you want done.